2012 Domaine Bruno Clair, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Clos Saint-Jacques

The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint Jacques has a perfumed bouquet with very pure, brambly red berry fruit, briary and cold stone that gently unfurls in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. This is another linear, focused Gevrey-Chambertin cut from the same cloth as the Cazetiers: structured and focused towards the finish with superb mineralite and persistency in the mouth. This should be marvelous after bottling and really gets to grips with the propitious nature of the vineyard. It was a balmy, sunny June morning when I last visited Domaine Bruno Clair to take a peek at their 2011s, but it was different arriving to taste their 2012s, the mercury struggling above zero, snow draped over vines. It was a pleasure to meet Bruno and Philippe Brun again, the “Batman and Robin” of Marsannay, Bruno sporting his favorite lumberjack jacket ready to cut down a few trees. At least he was warm. After some reminiscing about his good friend Patrick Bize, we set about the new arrivals. The 2012s were picked between 20 September and 1 October. His village crus are raised in new oak until racking in early September and then transferred into 15-hectolitre foudres to moderate the impact of the wood. Usually they de-stem the entire crop, but the ripeness of the stems meant that his top crus include 20% whole cluster this year. They both seemed enthusiastic about the vintage and rightly so – this is a domaine that shifted up a gear and vies for the village’s leading domaine (even though their Gevrey holdings make the synonymous with the village further south.) Bruno and Philippe just appear to have found the knack of creating wines with finesse and character, a more prudent approach that has fostered more terroir-driven Pinot Noirs. Their Clos Saint Jacques was once and “also ran”. Now it is up there with the likes of Fourrier and Rousseau. Importer: A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808, Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL; tel. (708) 343-6702, The Source, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 621-6151. Also through Justerini & Brooks and other merchants in the UK.

Mid-palate pliancy and resonance are on full display in the 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos-St.-Jacques. Sweet rose petals, crushed red berries, mint and spices flesh out in a resonant yet understated Burgundy endowed with considerable depth. This is fascinating to taste next to the more delicate Cazetiers.

Medium red. Enticing raspberry and floral aromas. Broad, rich and sweet, with lovely delicacy to its flavors of spices, flowers and earth but not yet showing this cuvee's typical cut and thrust. Finishes rich and persistent--but not singing today. Am I underrating this?